Chapter 38: Falling into the Net

In a secluded corner of the Fleuve Cendre, members of the Confrerie of Cabriere arrived.

They made sure to avoid the sight of others, confirming that they were not being followed.

In front of them were numerous crates stacked up. What was inside those crates remained unknown.

"Choosing this place to destroy 'Sinthe' should be able to avoid the Marechaussee Phantom's watch, right? The president is truly farsighted."

"True, but the environment here isn't great. Let's hurry up and finish the job, then head back."

One of the members of the association lit a torch and slowly walked toward the wooden crates.

At that moment, a strong hand grabbed him.

The member of the association was startled and looked up to see the face of Yu Xie.

"Yu... Yu..."

Soon after, members of the Marechaussee Phantom appeared, surrounding the members of the Confrerie of Cabriere.

This was a dead-end, and the members had no chance of escaping.

"Marechaussee Phantom is handling the case. Please cooperate."

The Marechaussee Phantom members restrained the Confrerie of Cabriere members one by one, and then proceeded to open the crates.

Without exception, the crates were filled with "Sinthe."

Yu Xie also approached the crates and took a glance.

Just as he had guessed, these people were here to destroy "Sinthe."

Choosing the Fleuve Cendre for such activities certainly helped avoid many eyes, allowing them to operate in the greatest secrecy.

But it was still a sloppy operation. Given Marcel's usual meticulousness, he should have been much more careful.

At least they should have chosen a quiet night, not in broad daylight.

Yu Xie pondered for a moment and then walked up to one of the members of the Confrerie of Cabriere.

"Now that we have you and the evidence, tell me—did Marcel send you here?"

The member hesitated, fear evident in his eyes as he looked at the trial, but after clenching his teeth, he said:

"The president has always strictly forbidden us from doing this kind of business, but there was nothing we could do. The profits from this kind of deal are huge, and we're short on money, so we took a gamble... didn't expect to fall into your hands."

These words made Yu Xie's brow furrow slightly.

"So, you're saying Marcel didn't instruct you? This was all your doing?"

"Exactly. We've been secretly selling 'Sinthe' behind the president's back. When we realized we might get exposed, we came here to destroy the 'Sinthe.' It's that simple."

"That's nonsense!" one of the Marechaussee Phantom members couldn't hold back any longer. "You're all wearing the most basic clothes, and after selling 'Sinthe' for so long, you couldn't even afford a decent outfit? It's obvious you were instructed by Marcel!"

"The Confrerie of Cabriere's wealth has accumulated unusually fast in recent years. I advise you to come clean. If you cooperate with the investigation, perhaps you can get a reduced sentence," another Marechaussee Phantom member added.

"Officer, we've already confessed honestly," one of the members of the trading association said. "People die for wealth, birds die for food. Now that we've been caught with both the goods and the crime, we accept our fate."

Hearing this, Yu Xie's gaze sharpened.

It seemed these people were Marcel's discarded pawns, and they were willing to be discarded.

With this testimony, it might be possible to launch an investigation into Marcel, but it wouldn't be enough to directly convict him.

This scenario was likely something the old fox, Marcel, had anticipated.

"Have you thought this through? You're covering for him!" A Marechaussee Phantom member's voice rose in anger. "If it turns out that Marcel was the one selling 'Sinthe,' you'll never be able to leave Meropide again!"

"Officer, your investigation should be based on evidence, right? Without evidence, how can you wrongfully accuse our president? Our president is a good person, and he has long ordered us not to sell 'Sinthe.' It's just that we were really short on money, so we secretly disobeyed his orders. We had no choice, this thing makes money fast."

The members of the trading association were becoming increasingly "skilled" in their responses, adopting an attitude of "I'm a dead pig, I don't fear the boiling water."

"President, we're sorry, we didn't listen to your teachings. We deserve this!"

Their expressions clearly carried an underlying message: We got caught, but you lost.

One of the Marechaussee Phantom members, seeing such provocation, appeared to lose control of his emotions, and was about to step forward to take action, but Yu Xie stopped him.

"Take them back, process them according to procedure. Send someone to take the 'Sinthe' back as well and destroy it all."

Soon, the members of the Confrerie of Cabriere were taken away.

The Marechaussee Phantom, who had just been a little too emotional, stood there silently, staring at the boxes of "Sinthe" for a long time.

Yu Xie walked over and spoke to him:

"I know you hate 'Sinthe,' but you need to stay calm. Only then will we be able to pull out the true mastermind behind this."

"Lord Yu Xie... my family was destroyed because of 'Sinthe.' I hate 'Sinthe'! Even though I'm just a low-ranking officer, I can tell those members of the trading association were clearly lying. They're covering for the person behind all this."

"Exactly."

"If they insist it's all on them, then the true culprit will never face justice!"

"They will, sooner or later. Those who turn a blind eye to others' lives and families will eventually pay the price they deserve." Yu Xie looked at the boxes containing "Sinthe," his gaze sharp and intense.

....

By the time Yu Xie returned to the office, it was already close to the end of the workday.

To his surprise, both Navia and Furina were still there.

It seemed they had been waiting for him.

"You're back!" Navia immediately stood up from the sofa when she saw Yu Xie, her eyes scanning his face. "You seem a bit troubled. What happened?"

"Is it serious?" Furina also got up from the sofa, her gaze fixed on Yu Xie.

"I caught some people who were secretly selling 'Sinthe'," Yu Xie said. "They're from the Confrerie of Cabriere."

"Confrerie of Cabriere..." Navia repeated quietly, her expression becoming slightly complicated.

Although under Yu Xie's influence, Navia hadn't become as familiar with the Confrerie of Cabriere as she might have been in the past, it was still the association her father, Callas, had single-handedly supported.

"Then what about the president of the Confrerie of Cabriere?" Furina asked at this point.

"The members of the association are insisting that it was their own actions, and that it has nothing to do with the association or its president, Marcel," Yu Xie replied.

"That doesn't sound very credible... If those members didn't have support, how would they dare sell 'Sinthe'?" Furina expressed doubt.

"That's true, but as long as they keep insisting on their story and we don't have concrete evidence, we can't do much about Marcel for now. Investigating this won't be easy," Yu Xie paused, then added, "It seems like I'll have to meet Marcel."

"I'll go with you! If Marcel is really behind all of this, it might be dangerous for you to go alone," Navia said.

Yu Xie looked into Navia's clear eyes, which were filled with concern.

He reached out and gently ruffled Navia's hair.

"I'll be fine on my own. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

End of chapter

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